New hospital boss to get £180,000

?The new boss of scandal-hit Stafford Hospital will be offered a "negotiable" £180,000 a year, it was revealed today.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has begun advertising for the top job at the hospital, which is at the centre of a public inquiry into poor standards of care.

The new chief executive will begin their job when NHS troubleshooter Antony Sumara leaves the hospital in the summer.

The job is being advertised at a salary level of £180,000 although this could be higher for what the trust has termed an "exceptional candidate".

The trust says that the right candidate needs to be capable of bringing about "cultural change" at Stafford Hospital.

It adds the new chief "will be expected to bring about significant organisational, cultural and performance improvements embedding a patient-focused culture through which standards will continually be raised".

Mr Sumara was brought in to try to turn around the hospital in August 2009 just months after the damning Healthcare Commission report in March of that year.

He has always said his time at Stafford was temporary. The new chief executive will also have to deal with the fallout from the Francis Inquiry which is expected to publish its findings later this year.

Trust chairman Sir Stephen Moss said: "Antony has done a fantastic job and we are keen to seek a new chief executive who will build on the excellent foundations he has established for us.

"Our priority is to find someone with equally strong values regarding the quality of patient care, and who can demonstrate a clear longer- term commitment to lead the trust through the challenges ahead."